Drop in Panic calls to CBSE helpline, Anahita Mukherjee

Drop in panic calls to CBSE helpline
Anahita Mukherji /, TNN, Mar 2, 2011, 08.57pm IST

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MUMBAI: Here's proof that the CBSE board's decision to make the Class X board examination optional this year has drastically reduced stress levels around exam time. The number of calls on the CBSE board helpline has dropped drastically. A year ago, the board helpline received 14,000 calls between February 1 and 28, this year it has dropped to 6,000 in the same period.

"The data is definitely encouraging,'' says Vineet Joshi, chairperson of the CBSE board, pointing to both the drop in the number of calls on the helpline, as well as the fact that 69% of CBSE students who had the choice of opting out of the board exams, did so. "Students are a lot happier during the exam season this year. Our system of continuous and comprehensive evaluation, where students are assessed all-year round and not just on the basis of a three-hour exam, has definitely reduced stress levels. The exam is no longer a 'do-or-die' scenario,'' says Joshi.

He also feels that with the assessment spread out across the year, students who don't do too well as the board exam won't feel it's the end of the world.

Incidentally, most calls on the helpline this year were over administrative matters, with only a small number suffering from examination stress. Of the 6,000 students who called on the helpline last month, only around 1,600 were stress-related. Contrast this with last year, where stress-related calls on the helpline were nearly five times higher. In February 2010, 7,333 students called the helpline over mental health issues.

The numbers show a very positive story. This is precisely the objective of the making board exams optional, and to a large extent it seems to have been met,'' says Avnita Bir, principal of RN Podar School

A drop in the number of panic-stricken phone calls on the CBSE helpline has translated into less stress at school. Many principals say the environment at school during exam time this year is a sea-change from previous years.

"Only 18 of 169 students at our school are appearing for the board exam. The anxiety levels are a lot lower and children are in a better frame of mind,'' said Cherian George, principal of the Kendriya Vidyalaya at IIT Powai.

Parents of those who have opted out of the board exam say their children are preparing for the Class X exam in a stress-free environment. Mitali Chatterjee, the mother of a Class X student at RN Podar School, says while studies are going on as usual there's no tension at home.

At Rajhans Vidyalaya, Andheri, the atmosphere is vey relaxed and this goes for both those who have opted out of the board exam as well as those who will be giving their boards. This has a lot to do with the fact that 60% of the assessment for Class X has been done all year round at school, and the exam will be worth only 40% of the total score for Class X. Those who do not appear for the board exam, will sit for the Class X exam at school, and get their papers assessed by school teachers. Papers for both sets of students have been set by the board.

Anxiety can be contagious’ Reetika Subramanian, Hindustan Times Mumbai, February 18, 2011

http://www.hindustantimes.com/Anxiety-can-be-contagious/Article1-663773.aspx

Anxiety can be contagious’
Reetika Subramanian, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, February 18, 2011

First Published: 02:17 IST(18/2/2011)
Last Updated: 02:18 IST(18/2/2011)

Every time Smita Shinde, 18, a Class 12 commerce student, takes a stroll in the society garden or talks to her friend over the phone, her over-anxious neighbour lectures her on how her friends “will outdo her in the upcoming board exams if she continues to while away her time”. “Such neighbours fal
l under the ‘delete’ category and students should steer clear of this over-anxious lot,” said Dr Harish Shetty, social psychiatrist, who conducts workshops for board exam students on ‘How to deal with parents and over-anxious relatives’. Dr Shetty, who has been associated with students for the past 20 years, said that parents and relatives’ anxieties can be contagious and could have a negative impact on a vulnerable student.

“We screen clippings from Bollywood films, recite poems, narrate real life stories, and play interesting memory games, to make the children understand that their parents’ anger and anxiety is only a form of their love,” added Dr Shetty.

The spate of suicides in the city last year prompted Dr Shetty to organise a special workshop this year on ‘preventing suicides’.

Both students and their parents are encouraged to sit through the sessions.

“Optimism is the bottom line, while dealing with children who are bogged down by both, academic and societal pressure,” said Dr Shetty. “We explain the need for them to make it big in life, attend college, and have a girlfriend/boyfriend.”

Dr Anonna Guha, a sociologist and counsellor with Nrityanjali Education Services, has been organising daily non-academic workshops for stressed students. “We begin with breathing techniques and exercises, before moving on to instructing the students on organised study patterns,” said Dr Guha.

“During the two-hour session, we help prepare personalised time tables depending on everyone’s daily routine; encourage them to pursue their hobbies even during their exams; and most importantly, have a question-answer session, making sure that their minds are uncluttered,” she added. To reach out to parents, who feel stressed owing to their children’s disinterest towards their books, Dr Fabian Almeida, psychiatrist and counsellor, has outlined a plan, centered on audio-visual techniques.

“At our workshops, we use a mix of interesting visuals between lectures as well as, teach pranayams and asanas, to ensure a holistic development of the parents and children,” said Dr Almeida, who has

conducted more than a thousand workshops in a career spanning ten years.

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